Level groups: “gas factory” or “pedagogical coherence” ? What is this new measure published in the Official Journal ?

Qu'est-ce qu'un groupe de niveau ? Illustration Unsplash – Taylor Flowe

The decree, which organizes the system initiated by Gabriel Attal when he was Minister of National Education, was published on Sunday. If the name has been changed, the spirit of the measure remains.

This is a reform dear to the Prime Minister which will see the light of day. The decree which organizes the system of groups of students which must be put in place at the next school year in 6th and 5th, then in 4th and 3rd in 2025, an idea initiated by the former Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal, was published this Sunday morning in the Journal Officiel.

"Level" or "need" ?

The text, the subject of semantic disagreement between the head of government and the one who succeeded him on rue de Grenelle, Nicole Belloubet, does not refer to "level groups"& nbsp;as the Prime Minister wished, or "needs groups" renamed as such by the Minister of Education. However, it is clearly stated that students will be distributed according to their skills.

Also read: Level groups, secularism, security of establishments… what to remember from Gabriel Attal’s announcements

L’decree specifies as well as "common lessons in French and mathematics, throughout the timetable, are organized in groups for all classes and levels of the college. These groups are formed according to the needs of the students identified by the teachers."

However, for the sake of cohesion, entire classes may continue to exist for up to ten weeks in the year. "By derogation, and in order to guarantee the consistency of the educational progressions of the different groups, students may be, for one or more periods, one to ten weeks in the year, grouped together in accordance with their reference class for these lessons."

"A gas plant"

The text also explains that there will be the possibility for students to navigate between groups based on the delays they might accumulate or the progress they might make throughout the year school. On the other hand, the decree does not specify how many students will make up these groups, which leaves control to the teaching staff. "The groups of students most in difficulty benefit from reduced numbers", however specifies the text.

Also read: Level groups in middle school: find out what the application texts published in the Official Journal contain

"Whatever the name, as long as there is the measurement", had already commented Gabriel Attal last week on this flagship measure resulting from his short stint at National Education. But the name change does not seem to appease the anger of the unions. This Sunday, Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of Snes-FSU, the first secondary school union, denounced on political obsession in defiance of the reality on the ground.

While the formation of these groups already seems to constitute a headache in colleges, a call for a strike has also been launched for this Tuesday, March 19.